


Deal

by SpookshowBabyx



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 01:32:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1368991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookshowBabyx/pseuds/SpookshowBabyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slightly more perverse take on the Vogler situation- Vogler approaches Cameron with the offer to make things work out for her, if she's willing to play by his rules. Torn over her decision and what it might mean for the others, she spirals into a downward journey of self destruction. Please read the author's note concerning the content of this fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This fic is a requested piece by a good friend. I have found writing it to be interesting, but imagine it will get a lot harder as the story continues, as the requested storyline is pretty angst ridden. I'll give warnings at the chapters where things get a bit more intense as to what to expect/ not to read if this bothers you, and please just bare with me as this is something I've not tried before.
> 
> For those lovely people amongst you reading my 'Sleepover' fic between these two characters (and possibly 'Predictable' as well) I am continuing these also, I am just hoping to get this one done around Christmas too. Please please please review!

Wilson looks up from the patient files waiting for him at main desk with mild curiosity. He takes in the side-profile of Vogler, who stands across from him at the other end of the reception booth; large and overbearing. Vogler's interest appears to be directed towards something just beyond Wilson's eyeline, and with the small, predatory smile touching the corners of his dark lips, Wilson has a sinking suspicion as to who may be approaching from the elevators.

He sighs and stacks his folders neatly, deciding to take leave before House can get started on another ridiculous battle of wills with the new and equally frustrating chairman. Opting on a detour around the reception's counters to the stairwell- so as to avoid heading in the exact direction in which the argument is destined to start- he throws a cursory glance over his shoulder; hoping to catch House and penetrate him with a stern glance warning before heading back up to the oncology department.

To his surprise, House is nowhere to be seen and it's Cameron who walks towards the desk- head bent over a chart of some kind- absentmindedly meandering around the group of trainee nurses headed in the other direction. Wilson makes a move to step back towards the desk thus making himself more visible to her, assuming the younger doctor is on her way to either to the Clinic or Cuddy's office, and both are in his current direction. He raises an eyebrow when Vogler moves out from the desk, effectively blocking her path, and deduces where the large man's attention had previously been focused.

"Dr Cameron."

She looks up from the papers in her hand and smiles warily.

"Yes?"

"I was hoping you could accompany me to my office a moment, I have something I'd like to discuss."

Wilson's brow furrows, not keen on the thought of Vogler approaching  _any_  of House's employees with a bid for discussion. Despite his certainty that Cameron would no more intend to provoke problems for House than he would himself, he is also becoming increasingly confident that Vogler is more than adept at twisting events to his advantage.

And Vogler's advantage is starting to spell serious bad news for the diagnostics team.

Cameron appears to be thinking something similar as she remains silent for a beat, searching the Chairman's face with wide, green eyes, before looking back down at her chart and taking a step to her left, out of his shadow.

"Now's not a great time, I need to be getting back to-"

"-Is Dr House claiming that I'm forcing him to get rid of one of you?... I assume his goal is to stir antagonism towards me..."

She stops walking- having succeeded in placing a good five feet between them while excusing herself- and turns back to Vogler, who waits curiously for her answer.

"...and your goal is?"

"I _am_  forcing him. I'll do whatever I can to ease the transition for whoever he choses..."

He takes a step towards her and she compensates by taking one back. Wilson moves further behind the desk, now uncomfortable and not wanting to distract her or let her know the conversation is being overheard. Cameron refuses to lower her eyes from Vogler's, but her response is quiet and unsure.

"If you're feeling guilty about your decision, there _is_  an easy solution-"

"-I don't feel guilty"

"Then... Why approach me and tell me all this?"

Vogler smiles at her as if this is the question he was waiting for all along.

"Because House is refusing to chose one of you... I can't allow the running of a department with so little appreciation for rules, and his neglect to perform this simple task just reinforces my concerns... He would rather I erase you all- while allowing him to continue playing this little game of oneupmanship between you in the process- than just do what has been asked of him."

He closes the gap between them and continues in a much lower tone, placing a hand on her upper arm which she glances down at warily; mentally forbidding herself to give into instinct and move away.

"I want to offer you a chance, Dr Cameron. I believe there must be  _some_  positive factors to your diagnostics team which perhaps I just have yet to see."

He lets his eyes travel hungrily downwards with perverse openness, before returning to her now unnerved gaze.

"I really must urge you to reconsider your declination to talk a while in my office, as I am sure we can find a way to make your future here very positive. Who knows, you may even give me a reason to revise my decision when it comes to ceasing this hospital's use of a diagnostics unit. I have a feeling you may well be quite... persuasive."

Wilson watches Cameron remove his hand from her arm pointedly, and when she finally speaks, her tone is ice cold.

"With all due respect- you have made your thoughts on the practice of diagnostics quite clear. It may be best for myself and the others to simply apply elsewhere; other hospitals do not tend to see unusual medicine as a loss of  _profit_ , but rather as a beneficial practice when saving lives."

Vogler's large features flush angrily for a brief moment before he shrugs, takes a step back, and regards his right hand as if inspecting for dirt. When he continues his voice is dangerously silky

"And who, may I ask, will be writing your reference when you apply to those other hospitals, Dr Cameron? _House_? When Princeton is done with him, you'll be better off without his name anywhere  _near_  yours. Of course in such a case, a member of the board would be more than happy to give you a glowing reference... but, I would bare in mind who _owns_  the board before you get too busy planning your future. I am offering you a hand, and you  _will_  need it. I suggest you reconsider throwing away all those years of medical practice, and think hard about how your stubbornness will affect your colleagues..."

He gives her one last look before turning his back, effectively dismissing her

"As I told Dr House, I need some sort of decision by Monday or the whole team will be let go. If you wish to discuss... anything... in the mean time, please make an appointment with my secretary."

Vogler takes a file- seemingly at random- from the desk and walks briskly off towards the elevators. Wilson regards Cameron uncomfortably as she stands where Vogler left her; head slightly bowed, and fists clenching and unclenching slowly. He slips around the counter until he stands just in front of her, wishing her hair wasn't so damn long and falling over her face so as to better gage her expression. He clears his throat awkwardly and she looks up at him.

Her expression, he finds out, is unreadable.

'I saw you talking to Vogler.'

He states lamely, inflecting the man's name to form a question. He decides it may be wise not to mention the fact he had heard the entire conversation, and rather let her fill him in on it.

"Oh. Yes. He just wanted to gather some information on our current patient. Legal needs it, I guess..."

She begins walking towards the clinic and Wilson falls in step next to her, peering at her through quick side glances. Her mouth is set in a thin line and he's not sure if she's looking paler than usual or if it's a trick of the fluorescents. One thing he can say for certain is that she looks decidedly unhappy. He sighs and slows his pace, and Cameron matches it automatically.

"Has House gotten any further in his decision making?"

She shoots him a startled glance, before sighing and coming to a stop outside the Clinic.

"No. And, I don't think he will... Before, when we were sure Chase was feeding information, I guess we thought once House knew or had enough of it, he would get rid of him."

"House knew."

"And Chase is still here... This week it appears to be  _my_  turn when it comes to House being convinced once of us is a screw up. If Foreman's lucky, he'll miss his go due to Vogler's ultimatum. Looks like I'm 'it' unless something happens before Monday."

She says it casually, almost as though bored. Wilson moves directly in front of her, so as to stop her disappearing into the clinic.

" _Did_  you screw up?"

"No."

"Then House knows that. He won't fire you."

"He should if he wants to keep the team running."

"You're a good doctor, and an equally good employee. House won't fire you..."

He steps a little closer and looks down at her sternly, holding her arm in the same place Vogler had not so long ago.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but this is  _House's_  game. Don't play it _for_  him... And don't let Vogler make you feel that it is _your_  duty to sort anything out."

There's quite a lot more he wants to say, but her expression is already dangerous, and he knows that while she is probably now fully aware just how much of the conversation with Vogler had been overheard, its insinuations are not something she wishes to hear out loud. He gives her a kind nod, and moves away to let her through. She gives him a strained smile before slipping into the slightly chaotic Clinic waiting room. Wilson sighs as he watches her narrow shoulders droop slightly and realizes that whatever his advice, she may be making her own decision.


	2. Chapter 2

"We need to talk."

House continues spinning his tennis ball idly, staring into the blur of mixing colors.

"What, no flowers? No chocolates? No serenading me with the dulcet tones of your sweet, subtle voice?"

Wilson sighs and takes the empty seat opposite House, reaching out to still the ball's movement. House glares at him irritably.

"I wonder what  _this_  could be about? I'm afraid Cuddy beat you however, if you've come to lecture me on deciding which of my little ducklings is for the chopping block."

He leans back in his chair and counts them off one by one on his fingers.

"She seems to think Foreman has the best ability to hold us all in check, but then of course, maybe she's just into some of that dark chocolate...It's also less  _useful_  advice when she likewise has only positive things to say about Chase- who's ass I believe she secretly covets- and Cameron- who I can only hope to  _dream_  the filthy fantasies she has about."

He makes a burlesque show of his lustful longing at the thought, before steeping his fingers under his chin and regarding Wilson seriously.

"Who would  _you_  fire?"

Wilson is a little taken aback by how swiftly they have reached the subject, but perseveres with the topic he's come to discuss; treading carefully.

"Vogler's been talking to Cameron."

House raises an eyebrow, but doesn't seem otherwise phased as he interjects

"I believe I saw him talking to Foreman earlier- it's certainly cruel the way he's getting into their worried little heads... My poor little kiddies; fighting for daddy's approval-"

"-I doubt the conversation with Foreman went the same way as the one I overhead..."

House's eyebrow climbs a little higher as he actually finds himself mildly interested.

"Oh?"

"Vogler seems to think Cameron may be able to persuade him to keep the whole team..."

Wilson watches House intently as the ambiguous statement hangs between them.

"And how would he imagine she would go about doing _that_ , I wonder?"

House smirks maliciously, gratified to have his earlier musings on the likelihood of Vogler unethically approaching Cameron validated.

"Perhaps after she's done with Vogler, I should offer her a pay rise... See what kind of persuasion our lovely young doctor can offer  _me!"_

Wilson leans forward irritably and beats a fist on the desk.

"House, it's not funny! The man propositioned her; not only is it highly inappropriate, but you now have a member of your team worrying that if she doesn't comply with such deplorable commands, all of you will be out of a job!"

House shrugs, regaining his initial disinterest in the matter.

"Cameron's not stupid. At least, not as stupid as _you're_  currently painting her. Vogler was playing with her, and- innocent little darling our precious girl is- I'm sure she was appalled by the suggestion. He wants her scared. He'll probably approach Chase with a similar proposition;  _he's_  precious and pretty too."

"It was more than a suggestion, House. You really should talk to Cameron..."

"I have no _need_  to talk to Cameron. If the offer was legit, she'd be smart to take it. If I thought I had a similar chance at buttering up our good chairman, I would invest in some fetching low-cut tops and a bottle of whipped cream-"

"-Will you take this  _seriously_!?"

"Why? Either a rich, contentious bastard made a pass at an attractive younger doctor; distressing you with the knowledge that chivalry truly is indeed dead. Or, Cameron really  _is_  considering prostituting herself out for the good of the people; in this case, the three of us with less appealing genitalia. I know which one  _I'd_  prefer, but I would also place money on which is more  _likely._ "

Wilson ignores this sarcastic grumbling and presses on with the heart of the issue. After hearing House's remarks on the situation, he cant help but feel a little foolish, but he says what he feels needs to be said, regarding his old friend sombrely.

'It was more than just a  _suggestion,_  House. He gave her a choice. A choice where he made it very clear that if she were to make the wrong decision, things would end very  _badly_  for both Cameron  _and_  the rest of you. If you let Vogler close the diagnostics unit, those three won't have a reference worth a damn once he's through with you. He made that much very clear."

House's cool disinterest crumbles as he searches Wilson's face for any hint of foul play. He leans back in his chair and sighs, deciding this conversation is turning out to be even less enjoyable than the one he had anticipated.

"If Vogler  _has_  offered her a future, she would be smart to take it..."

Wilson stares at him, appalled.

"You honestly have no problem with this?"

"Why would I?! She's a big girl, and she can make her own decisions! If she wants to scratch his back so he'll scratch hers, then good for her!"

"This isn't a simple game of swapping favours, House! This is  _blackmail!_  This is Cameron! It's Vogler taking advantage of her because you were too  _stubborn_  to just play nice! It's Cameron allowing him to use her! It's Cameron allowing him to  _fuck_ her!'

Wilson spits the word out in disgust, glaring up at House who looks taken aback at his friend's sudden anger. He lets the silence settle between them heavily, somewhat stunned. Wilson's cheeks are flushed as his earlier discomfort in the lobby is replaced by outrage.

"It's not so funny when you hear it put like  _that_ , is it?"

Wilson asks hotly. House lowers his unnervingly blue eyes and returns to his ball.

"...As you said; it's Cameron. She wouldn't put herself in that position for a job. Not even this one."

"Maybe not for hers. But what about for Foreman's? Chase's?... Yours?"

House picks up the ball and begins bouncing it against the wall, turning away from Wilson, who gets up and turns to leave when he realizes he is being dismissed.

"...Do you really think she's taking Vogler seriously?"

Wilson turns back to House who carries on with the ball as though he hasn't said anything.

"I think Cameron tends to take  _everything_  seriously... Talk to her... you owe her that much."


	3. Chapter 3

"When I said 'now would be a good time for one of you to have an epiphany', what I  _meant_  was an idea that doesn't involve cutting up a patient whose symptoms include trouble clotting!"

House throws back at Chase from his perch at the whiteboard. Foreman grumbles his general agreement and goes back to regarding the files. The two begin a back and forth of throwing down each other's theories- none of which have yet to fit- allowing House to dismiss them as white noise as he regards Cameron curiously. Despite telling Wilson his youngest employee is smart enough not to let Vogler's suggestive comment mean too much, the picture she presents before of him suggests otherwise.

Cameron listens as the boys brawl verbally, one slender leg hooked over the other, her raised foot shaking compulsively. Her long hair, which started this consult pulled back neatly, has started spilling out around her face, and the little makeup she wears is only obvious due to it being smudged beneath her eyes. She catches House looking at her and clears her throat, scanning the patient file in her hand nervously before raising her voice for the first time since they all sat down.

"Why don't we just use a coagulant?"

"A coagulant... My  _God_.. Why didn't _I_  think of that? Because... The patient has trouble clotting, so giving him something that will make him do just that will...  _Dr Cameron_ , I don't know _how_  we could _possibly_  run this department without you!"

The young brunette cringes visibly at House's cruel sarcasm, particularly bitten by his last remark, while Chase speaks up irritably.

"And why is it a good idea when  _she_  suggests it?  _I_  said we should use a coagulant ages ago!"

"Yes, you idiotic buffoon, and I told you  _then_  it was a stupid idea! Dr Chase, would you like to tell Dr Cameron  _why_  it's a stupid idea?  _Clearly_  she has other things on her mind, or just couldn't give a fuck!"

The blond glances from House to Cameron awkwardly, before muttering sheepishly to the blushing brunette

"Because it won't allow us a true diagnosis."

"Won't allow us a true diagnosis! Now  _that_  sounds like something that may cause a serious handicap to a diagnostics team! What do  _you_  think, Dr Cameron?"

"... It does."

"Ah! Well, so long as we're all in agreement, Foreman, go get a set of fluid samples. Chase, you're going to be me, take my name badge and go down to the clinic. Cameron, try not to exsanguinate anyone for no good reason."

He turns back to the whiteboard, effectively dismissing the three younger doctors. Chase and Foreman exchange a glance before peering over at Cameron who is bent over her bag silently, packing up the various journals and papers she'd had out on the desk. The boys leave, shortly followed by their colleague, and House glances up slyly upon hearing the door shut behind her to discern where the young doctor might be headed to.

To no real surprise, he witnesses her duck into the staff bathrooms at the end of the hallway. Rolling his eyes and grabbing his cane he limps causally after her, knocking out and irritating little rhythm on Wilson's door as he passes.

* * *

House enters the chlorine-scented bathroom with a loud bang of his cane against the door and looks around. His youngest little duckling is bent with her hands gripping one of the sinks which line a long mirrored wall, with her eyes shut. She ignores her unwanted guest until she notes the soft pad accompanying their footsteps which lets her know just who stands behind her. Whipping around, her eyes are bloodshot and her voice is unsteady, causing the incredulous disapproval of her cry to make him smirk all the more.

"House, this is the girl's!"

" _What_?! Then what are  _you_  doing in here?"

Weak. He knows it. But, incredibly it garners a small smile from her.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, you know, just wondering why you look like someone just told you the truth about Santa Clause... You do  _know_  the truth, right?"

"House..."

"That he's a convicted pedophile? I mean,  _god_ , what is this world-"

"House... Get out."

The older doctor sighs as the young brunette turns her back to him once more, pulling out her hair tie and redoing her modest pony-tail in the mirror. He watches her reflected in the glass and catches her eyes whenever they flicker over to his. Leaning against the door and hoping that no idiot will come along and try to whack it open, he rubs at the scruff at his jaw thoughtfully.

"Wilson came to speak to me earlier."

"That's nice."

"Nope. No, this wasn't what you'd call a  _pleasant_  conversation. At least  _he_  didn't seem to think so... Your name came up... Any idea what that could have been about?"

She turns to him slowly and he realizes he doesn't think he's ever seen her look quite so wary. An impressive achievement given his usual hounding of her.

"About Vogler...?"

"Yes. About Vogler. More specifically; about your little conversation with Vogler."

"And what makes what I discussed with Vogler any or his- or your- concern?"

"From what I heard, it wasn't so much a discussion as an ultimatum."

"Well, you should know the feeling then! Leave me alone, House."

"Can't, sorry. You see, I told Wilson- because, let's be honest, when was the last time I  _didn't_  pry into your sad, lonely little life- that you weren't quite dumb enough to take our beloved Chairman seriously... But now, here you are, fretting nervously in a way that is almost tangible, and I'm in danger of being proven wrong... I don't like to be proven wrong, Dr Cameron."

She lets out an irritable huff and makes to storm past him, but he blocks her path easily with his cane; hard wood smacking none to gently against skinny hipbones.

"Ouch!"

"Not my fault, you should watch where you're going."

"House, get out the way! Just-"

House's grin falters as her words fade into a sob and he looks down at his hands awkwardly, giving her a moment to compose herself.

"Please, just move."

Quiet, so quiet, and he studies her intently as her eyes remain cast down beneath wet lashes.

"Cameron, the chairman and I are currently engaged in a game of cat and mouse as you are well aware. I have been given an ultimatum, which, as much as I  _enjoy_  watching the three of you rut and squabble bloodthirstily, I am not in favor of.  _If_  I end up getting rid of one of you, then that's just the way things are. I have been stubborn, and now there is a price to pay. I'd tell you I was sorry, but then I'd have to kill you... But, whatever the Chairman has against me, and I against him, it is a game for us big boys to play. There is  _no_  reason for you to get your hands dirty. Do you understand? Not if you don't  _want_  to."

Her silence continues, and he begins to feel angry. He  _knows_  what he feels is anger because he refuses to entertain the possibility that the faint twinge in his stomach is concern. Apprehension.

"I wish I could believe you..."

Cameron's words are soft, almost inaudible, but he catches them easily within the echoes of their porcelain surroundings. He glares at her, wanting to place his finger beneath her chin so that she'll stop looking down at the damn floor, but he doesn't want to touch her. Can't touch her.

"Oh, quit feeling so sorry for yourself! If you want to be a martyr, fine! Go right ahead!"

And then she really is shoving past him, small frame pushing angrily against his lanky one, causing him to stumble to the side as she storms off past him down the hallway.

_Drama Queen._

House grunts irritably, making his way from the bathroom and ignoring the curious glance of a nurse making her way inside. He decides that for now, with Cameron annoyingly out of earshot, he blames Wilson, and makes his way to his friend's office so that his anger will at least be bestowed on  _someone_.

The glass walls of the hospital serve many a purpose, and their function is to aid the medical voyeur; the students who learn from their masters. But there are  _other_  acts of voyuerism, and as House limps down the hall to the oncology office he catches a sight through the glass which makes his teeth clench.

The overbearingly large Chairman makes his way gayly through the adjascent corridoor and spies the small brunette angrily barreling in his direction. He stops, waiting for her to pass, a large hand catching her by the arm and pulling her from her distracted fury. House watches as the large man says something inaudible through the glass. Watches as Cameron cringes away in a manner that is only  _just_  still socially polite. Watches as the young doctor mutters something and takes her leave. Watches as Vogler watches her. Drinks her in. Devours her.

He crashes into Wilson's office murderously, already spewing venom before the door has even fully come to a close.

"Why did you have to tell me about Cameron!?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok, Cameron, I'm cutting you off."

Chase plucks the half empty bottle from the brunette's limply protesting fingers and places it at the far side of the long table at which they sit, sighing when his colleague simply places her forehead on the spillage-tacky wood and shuts him out. Glancing up at Foreman, he raises an eyebrow in silent question, but the neurologist merely shrugs, brow furrowed.

"We should probably get going anyway; place closes in half an hour, and I have a feeling tomorrow may be an early one."

Shaking the brunette gently by the shoulder, Chase attempts to rouse her from what he now realizes is an intoxicated stupor. Looking back up at Foreman he mouths silently,

"She's asleep..."

Foreman's frown deepens, and he taps lightly at the younger doctor's skull, eventually to be rewarded with a low, murmured request to leave her alone. Pushing himself from the table and making his way round to her side, he grabs her hands and begins pulling her up, almost knocking over her chair in the process, but the blond catches it swiftly.

"Sorry, no can do. It's time to go, Sleeping Beauty, and you, most  _certainly,_  could do with some rest."

Growling irritably as the brunette sags in his arms, Foreman pulls her slender arm firmly over his neck and waits for Chase to take up the other side; the young blond grinning widely at the absurdity of their current ordeal. He and Foreman have both played the part of 'incoherent drunk' on several previous occasions- being dragged from the room much as they are dragging the brunette now- but for Cameron, this is a first.

"Christ, she's not as light as she looks."

Foreman laughs, nodding amiably at the bemused looking doorman as they shuffle awkwardly out.

* * *

Once in the bar's parking lot they pause for a second, trying to figure out the best course of action. The original plan had been to go out for a few drinks and then for each to make their way home come closing time. This is now obviously out.

"Ok, give me a hand; hold her arms in place."

Chase moves to stand before the brunette and pulls Cameron's arms around his neck, nodding at Foreman who keeps them draped about his shoulders. The blond crouches down a little, reaching for his colleague's knees, and hooks his hands beneath them; hoisting her up onto his back with a grunt.

"I'll go by hers on the way home. Can you check her pockets to see if her keys are in there?"

Chase turns with the brunette on his back, waiting as Foreman fishes into the pockets of her jacket before apprehensively patting down her hips and ass to find a tell-tale bulge in her back pocket.

"Yeah, you're good."

They walk on in amiable silence, Chase grunting every now and then as he hitches the unconscious young brunette back into place. As they near the hospital- a check point for the three of them as they make their way home, Foreman's apartment then being the closest- the young blond muses inquisitively.

"Any idea what _was_  up with Cameron tonight?"

"How'd you mean?"

"How'd I _mean_? I mean as in... Why she drowned herself in three bottles of wine and was in a weirdly pissy mood all night, is what I mean..."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Foreman raises an eyebrow at his colleague as they continue traipsing down the long, tungsten-lit street, glancing briefly at the dark tresses that fan over Chase's shoulders hiding Cameron's face, before shrugging at the blond's questioning gaze.

"House has been riding her all week; it's like she can't even open her _mouth_  without him accusing her of screwing up on one thing or another... And, you know, just between the two of us... I'm starting to doubt she actually _did_  make a mistake with the interferon..."

"So why not say something?"

"I value my job."

"...Fair enough."

"You're damn lucky House didn't fire  _you_  when he found out about your little truce with Vogler!"

"Well... I valued my job."

"Yeah?... Well, you're an ass..."

Chase glowers at the young neurologist but resists the urge to snap back. Instead, he merely adjusts his grip at the brunette's thighs in an attempt to keep her from slipping from his grasp and remains momentarily silent.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. There's no  _way_  she's going to be functional tomorrow... She's all but  _given_  the old bastard a reason to get rid of her if she shows up hungover tomorrow."

"You think she got drunk on purpose?"

"... I think she needed a drink."

"...You  _really_  think House will choose to get rid of Cameron?"

"... I hope not..."

"Bullshit!"

"What? Like  _you_  wouldn't find relief in that?!"

The blond sighs, uncomfortable with their current situation. He views the young immunologist as a sister, and knows the man trudging morosely at his side feels much the same. He is desperate to keep his position within their small, sometimes volatile team, but as his fingers grip protectively at rough denim and warm flesh, he becomes ever more aware of a coppery taste at the back of his throat.

"... No... If House gets rid of Cameron... Of _any_  of us... It should be for a concrete reason..."

"You say that like you've never even  _met_  the man."

"I'm not saying it's going to _happen_ , I'm just saying... Come on."

Chase quickens his pace as the ugly red brick of Princeton Plainsboro looms up ahead. Foreman catches up easily with a frown.

"Come on, what?"

"We'll take the service elevator. There shouldn't be too many people about on our floor at this time of night."

"Wait...What? What are we doing?"

"We're going to sober her up."

"Chase..."

"Look, _I_  don't want to be House's scapegoat any more than you do, and if Cameron screws up or pisses him off, then that's  _her_  problem. Hell, I'd  _welcome_  it; she's the competition! But, if she goes because House bullied her into feeling the need to get as drunk as she got tonight, then  _I_ won't be able to come to work without thinking about how I still have a job because I screwed over a distressed little _girl_..."

"Like you'd even give it a second thought in a week's time!"

"I would. And, I'm sure that by _helping_  her tonight, in a week's time I'll be wondering what the hell I was thinking... But tonight, I'm putting her on a vitamin drip. Either come with or go home."

Foreman grumbles irritably but remains in step beside the blond. As they walk on his sullenness abates, supposing that this way he can at least avoid dealing with the animosity sure to rear its ugly head in the morning should Cameron show up looking and feeling like death.

"Want me to take her for a bit?"

Chase glances up in surprise as he hoists the brunette firmly back in place.

"It's ok, it's practically round the corner now."

As the words leave his lips, they take a right and cut their way through the pretty much deserted parking lot, quickening their pace in hopes of avoiding any unwanted attention.

Finally reaching the back of the building, they make their way through a small side door meant for deliveries, and hurry down a hallway of flickering fluorescence and cloying ammonia until they stand before the service elevator. Calling the car down, Foreman shrugs politely at a profoundly curious nurse scurrying past them.

"S' going...on?"

The young neurologist grins as a green eye blinks at him blearily from beneath messy chestnut tresses.

"Welcome _back_ , Dr Cameron!"

He bellows loudly, causing the brunette to cringe and the blond to laugh. Cameron lets out a low groan and closes her eyes again.

"Feel... sick..."

"Not when you're back there you don't!"

Chase warns her sternly as the elevator doors slide open and they filter inside.

"Let me down."

The blond shakes his head, smirking.

"Not a chance; I let you down and we'll be dragging you, stumbling, down the hall. Better just sit back and enjoy the ride."

"Why're we here? Is s'mthin wr-wrong with you?"

"Clearly."

The doors open once more and they spill out into the vacant hallway to the DDX room, hurrying cautiously across this last stretch before shutting themselves safely behind familiar glass and closing the blinds.

Chase offloads the brunette awkwardly into one of the chairs while Foreman fetches the wastepaper basket and places it next to her as a precaution. The boys stand back and observe the young immunologist slouched inelegantly in her seat, each feeling peculiarly like an interrogator due to the way he stands.

"I'm going to go down to the ER to get what we need, try and keep her conscious."

Chase slips back out as Foreman pulls up a chair of his own and smiles kindly at Cameron.

"Just you and me now, but you should know, I draw the line at holding back your hair."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No need, I'm fine..."

"I don't mind, really! It doesn't put me out or anything..."

"I know, and thanks, but I'm really ok... I promise."

"I could just come in and get things set up for you?"

"I'm pretty sure I can manage stripping off and getting into bed..."

"... You're  _sure_?"

"Yes. Chase. I'm sure."

The blond shrugs as though abruptly disinterested, before grunting in surprise as Cameron suddenly slings an arm around his neck- still not entirely in control of her coordination- and presses a dry kiss to his cheek. Patting her awkwardly on the shoulder he mutters his farewell and steps back to find her- slightly blown- green eyes regarding him somberly.

"I know you guys didn't have to do what you did... That it would have probably been better for you both if House found out about tonight... I owe you both a lot of thanks."

"You'd have done the same..."

"I'm usually the odd one out, though."

She grins sheepishly, moving to stand within the threshold to her apartment and closing the door so that she rests tiredly between the beams and its edge. Chase recognizes this as a sign the young doctor is adamant in her declination to give out any further invitation and shrugs awkwardly once more. Raising a hand, before turning away and making his way down the communal hallway, he is surprised when she calls out to him.

"Why  _did_ you do it?"

He turns back to her and frowns.

"Because... It wasn't a fair way for you to go... If it  _was_  going to be you, I mean. It makes my life  _easier_  if House fires you, the same way it was made  _easier_  getting on Vogler's good side- Oh! don't pretend to be confused, I know you know. Foreman called me out on it venomously, you're just too fucking  _nice_  to get your hands dirty- but, if you'd have gone, House would have never let it go. He would have fired a perfectly good doctor- never mind that he likes you the most- because she'd lapsed for one night and indulged a little too much... Anything that  _ever_  happened, that  _ever_  went wrong... We would be constantly reminded that _we_  were saved and  _you_  were gone... Now, I don't care if House gets rid of you for _screwing up_  only to bring it up every time I don't come through and meet his ridiculous expectations... But, I'll be fucked if I'm going to be reminded that I'm only still around because his first choice had one glass too many... Maybe a more  _selfish_  reason than you would have had for doing what we did, but..."

"... But you don't want to spend the next two years being treated like shit and have it excused because some idiotic, pathetic little girl got hammered... I get it."

"... Sorry it's not the selfless gesture you'd hoped for..."

"Ha! No... protecting your self-worth... I get  _that_... I'm still grateful... Even if you're beginning to regret it..."

She offers him a small, awkward shrug, the ghosts of rose-petal lipstick still tinging her lips pleasantly pink, and he wishes- not for the first time- she'd change her mind and invite him in.

_"Obviously, the girl is hot. You, you're not talking about her aesthetics, you're talking about if I want to jump her. I don't."_

_Yeah right._

"Well... You're welcome... And, Cameron? Don't let House get to you... You know what he's like... It's not worth getting _this_  distressed about; it's not like the asshole's going to make a decision based on anything that makes  _sense,_  anyway."

"I guess not..."

"And, you know... It wouldn't be the _first_  time House pulled the shit out the bag at the last moment... We did what we did tonight because if there was _any_  way to keep us all in our jobs, it was only right to take it!"

"... Yeah... Sure... Absolutely..."

Chase frowns momentarily as he studies the brunette's ever changing expression. She had worried him earlier; being quite so small and crashing quite so hard. Since rejuvenating somewhat under the influence of the drip, combined with the sobering effect of the brisk wind as the two of them had trudged to her apartment, she had seemed in higher spirits. Now... Her lips are suddenly drawn, and she regards him with wary unease. He sighs. He has advised her all that he can; all that she deserves. He is already beginning to feel a nagging doubt at his generosity this evening, and, much as he hates himself for it, it has increased ten-fold since her polite dismissal that he stay the night with her.

_And they say a good deed never goes unpunished..._

Clearing his throat as flashing images of how he feels tonight  _should_  have ended cross his mind, he nods his farewell once more before turning briskly away and hurrying down the stairs in search of the refreshing night air.

Cameron watches him go with a frown. Her head is beginning to ache again, and she feels slightly unsteady on her feet. Retreating backwards into the familiar comfort of her apartment, she closes the door- sliding across the inner dead-lock for good measure- and makes her way to her bedroom, shedding clothes along the way.

Standing in front of her floor length mirror, clad only in simple white cotton bikini briefs, she studies herself shrewdly. She inwardly scolds herself, using her mother's voice, as she observes the pronounced indentations to her ribcage and the way her bones throw shadows beneath her skin.

_Remember to eat breakfast tomorrow. Eggs. Two of them._

She leans in a little closer, staring at herself staring at herself staring at herself over and over in the hateful glass; eyes slightly bloodshot, the lashes of the left marred with a gap where she has pulled at them fretfully.

 _"We did what we did tonight because if there was_ any _way to keep us all in our jobs, it was only right to take it!"_

_"It's a game for us big boys to play. There is no reason for you to get your hands dirty. Do you understand? Not if you don't want to."_

_"I am offering you a hand, and you will need it. I suggest you reconsider throwing away all those years of medical practice, and think hard about how your stubbornness will affect your colleagues..."_

Clamping her eyes shut, she falls into bed- naked but for the wisp of cotton that covers her sex- not even bothering to get beneath the warm comfort of the blanket.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning."

Green eyes flicker towards Foreman as the brunette takes her seat at the large white table which centers the room. She offers him a tight smile which broadens considerably when she realizes his expression is merely neutral and his eyes shine with good humor.

She had been worried the boys would now regret their surprisingly noble decision the previous evening, but so far, both Foreman and Chase- whom she had run into briefly when she'd hurried down to the cafeteria to buy an apple; breakfast having gone forgotten despite her best intentions- have acted much the same as they always do.

She just wishes she could say the same for House.

The ordinarily sarcastic doctor had been down-right cruel when she had shared a ride up with him in the elevator. She had been working on her apple, trying to finish it quickly before starting their differential; never having been a fan of eating whilst in House's presence due to his tendency to inundate her with innuendos. The older doctor had limped into the car with a brief glance in her direction, before moving to stand uncomfortably close; a slow smirk touching his lips as she had let out an audible little sigh.

"It's really too bad this isn't your regular case of being propositioned to sleep with your boss... We all know how that would turn out."

Remaining cautiously silent, she had merely stared expressionlessly ahead of her while waiting for the elevator to reach its destination. House's smirk had become a full-blown grin and he had leant in ever closer to whisper quietly in her ear.

"There's still time, Dr Cameron, it's only Thursday after all... If you want to gain back the points you lost with your little coagulant suggestion, I would never say no to finding you bent over the desk in my office... Leave your tennis shoes on though... They-"

"- Shut up, House."

"Ok, ok! No tennis shoes, jeez, what-"

"- Don't."

His grin had faltered slightly as the brunette had continued to stare at the dull metal doors. House had taken note of the dark shadows beneath her eyes and the red, bloodshot webs surrounding her irises. He could smell the lingering scent of alcohol on her; trapped within her hair and beneath her skin. He had let the subject drop, but not before the young brunette had let out a shuddering breath and cast her eyes down to the floor.

Now, as they sit in the pleasantly warm DDX room, House accompanies her in the act that nothing is amiss; that nothing is wrong. Chase wanders in with a hot chocolate in hand and takes a seat opposite his two young colleagues and waits for the discussions to begin.

"Before we get started, children, I have a little announcement to make."

House tears away the sheet which had been covering the whiteboard to reveal a neat tally beneath his own messy scrawl.

"As you can see, I have created a system which will help with our current dilemma. Each of you has been given your own little column, into which I will be sticking a series of gold stars as you all endeavor to jump through fiery hoops to impress me."

Foreman rolls his eyes as he reads out the headings to each of the columns.

"Chocolate gateau? BBQ Banana? Vanilla ice...queen?"

"Just the beginning of the fun I have in store for today! A little dessert play; as you are all so pathetically sweet and... Delicious."

House waggles his eyebrows at Cameron who ignores him with a clenched jaw. Undeterred, he refocuses his amorous attention onto Chase.

"So, you're not even going to pretend to base your decision on anything professionally relevant?"

Foreman grumbles, as Chase averts his eyes awkwardly onto a speck of dust breezing across the table before them. House opens his mouth and bugs out his eyes in a burlesque representation of insulted shock before shrugging and handing out tasks. He takes note of the way his youngest employee seems to be suffering from a touch of what he would call a hangover, had the symptoms represented themselves in anyone else but Cameron. Pulling Chase aside, he points conspiringly towards the brunette as she begins the tedious task of trawling through past records that bear resemblance to their current case.

"Any reason why little Miss Priss looks like she's been the recipient of a severe beating this morning?"

The blond eyes his boss warily before glancing over to his colleague and offering an awkward shrug.

"I guess she's not feeling too great..."

"Interesting..."

"If you say so... Your little game probably doesn't help..."

Chase mutters irritably as he pins House's name-tag to his chest; dreading yet another day of runny noses and sore throats, but buttoning his lip when it comes to arguments regarding his misfortune. Instead, he gestures towards Cameron with his chin as he makes to leave the room.

"You want to know about Cameron, you should ask her... Given that I know that you won't, you're in luck; you keep bullying her like you have been, she'll probably quit... No need to rub it in with those damn stars."

"You seem awfully sure, Dr Chase?"

"She's had enough! We all have! You want to know about Cameron, go ask her!"

Offering yet another shrug, the young surgeon leaves the room, closely followed by Foreman who has the results of yesterday's fluid samples in his hand and a frown on his face. House watches him go before returning his attention irritably to Cameron, who remains seated with her head bent over a book. Sighing, he takes a seat next to her.

"If you answer a question, I'll give you a star..."

"I'm busy."

"I can see that... I can also see that you're reading the wrong article... Unless you want to kill this guy?"

"Wait... You know what's wrong with him?!"

"I might do..."

"House! If you know you should-"

"-If I'm right, then what I assume it is can wait a little while longer while you mere mortals figure it out... If I happen to be wrong... Then I'm doing no harm in not letting you in on the secret... So... Do you want a star?"

"No."

"You-"

"House... I'm working. Leave me alone."

He continues to regard her curiously, propping his feet up on the table and penetrating the young brunette with a clear, blue stare.

"No."

"Fine... What do you want?"

"I want to know why you look like shit."

"Thanks. I guess I just parted my hair funny this morning or something. Whatever you want to hear."

House rolls his eyes as a small smirk touches his lips. Tipping back in his chair and twiddling a pen precariously between his fingers, he shakes his head and closes his eyes.

"Nope, that's not it... Your clothes are obviously clean and ironed, your makeup is- as always- boring and tasteful, and your hair is parted the same way as always and smells very recently washed... And yet... You don't look in a good way... Not in a good way at all, in fact... And was that alcohol I could smell on you earlier?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No... You know... It's a funny thing, working at a hospital... Especially a training hospital where only the really serious drugs are under true lock and key... Anything else... Any painkillers-"

He pops a Vicodin with a showy flourish

"- any... Miracle aids?... To feeling better... To... Sobering up?... Well, I guess they'd be pretty easy to come by provided you knew where to look..."

"... I guess so. Why are you telling me this?"

"Oh, no reason. Say... I heard a pretty funny joke this morning when I was talking to one of the security guys... Want to play?"

"Not really."

"Brilliant! It went a little something like this... Three trainee doctors walk in through the back entrance of the hospital; A black man, an Australian, and a girl who's so fucked off her damn face she's unconscious-"

"-House..."

"...Who gets fired?"


	7. Chapter 7

_"Three trainee doctors walk into a back entrance to the hospital; A black man, an Australian, and a girl who's so fucked off her damn face she's unconscious-"_

_"-House..."_

_"...Who gets fired?"_

House regards her levelly as the brunette opens and closes her mouth in search of an answer.

"I... It won't happen again."

"You're damn  _right_  it won't happen again! I mean  _fuck_ , Cameron, what the hell were you _thinking_?"

"I shouldn't have used hospital drugs... I'm sorry..."

"Oh, stop it! If this was about the damn drip I would be hounding all three of you! In fact, if this was about the  _drip_ , you'd be the one I'd place the  _least_  blame on, what with you being completely incoherent when  _that_  little decision was made. No, what I'm fucked off about is that little Miss Perfect- key word;  _little-_  felt the need to drink herself into a stupor! Cameron... This has to  _stop_!"

She glares at him, opening her mouth to argue that he has no point; no  _case_. That she is perhaps the _only_  one amongst them to never have stepped even a toe out of line when it comes to the hospital's drugs and drink conduct before. House catches her quickly, shaking his head and holding up his hand.

"If you can't deal with the shit Vogler laid on you then you need to say so right now, because I'll be  _damned_  if I'm going to sit here feeling obliged to worry about your sorry ass as you fret yourself into a nervous break-down. If you can't get yourself through the next couple of days sober and in control of your emotions, I'll give Vogler your name today and we can be done with this, do you understand?

"...Why haven't you already?"

"Oh, god, what did I tell you about this whole  _Martyr_ business? It's boring! I haven't given your name-  _any_  of your names- to Vogler, as no matter  _how_  much you three conspire to irk me, you are all fully competent doctors and are a key part to this team. Now, I am sorry that you find yourself in the unique position of possessing breasts- if you can  _call_  the little you have up there breasts- and that this has caused the Chairman to feel he can come up with yet more rules to this ridiculous little game, but... Grow up, suck it up, and get on with your job... Ok?"

"... Yes..."

"Good."

House rises and limps quickly over to the small cabinet above the sink and pulls down a half eaten carton of fruit-winders. Taking out three and pocketing one, he tosses the remaining two in her direction, before making his way back and moving them from their chaotic landing positions to rest before her.

"Eat these. Lots of sugar; they'll do a much better job of making you feel better than a bloody apple."

He gives her a curt nod before limping off into Wilson's office, leaving the brunette fidgeting with the candied fruit tentatively before heading off for clues to their current case, nibbling at her bounty as she goes.

* * *

"I swear, if I had known the hassle of looking after three children, I never would have had any!"

"... Okay?"

Wilson looks up curiously as House falls into the old leather chair opposite his desk, glaring at his friend moodily.

"Is this still about Cameron?"

"Yes!"

"Hmmm... curious that she seems to be getting to you so badly..."

"Curious?! What the hell?  _Yesterday_  you were telling me off for not taking this seriously, and now suddenly it's ' _curious_ '?!"

"So you _are_  taking this seriously now?"

"I... Chase and Foreman carried Cameron into my office last night and put her on a fucking vitamin drip..."

"Why would they-"

"- _Why_? Because the little idiot got herself so worked up she decided to get completely and mortally _wasted_  until she passed out!"

"...Shit."

" _Yes!_   _Shit_! I know you think I should talk to her, and a good lot of help would come of that, but I  _have_! I've  _tried!_  I... I think she's genuinely weighing up her options with Vogler."

"... If I recall correctly, you yourself were of the opinion that she would be doing herself a favor playing by his rules..."

"It's Cameron!"

"Yes, that's what I tried to tell you!"

"It's Cameron! The likelihood of her submitting to a suggestion like that should be nil!... But, now... I think..."

"House-"

"- If he touches her..."

Wilson frowns, clicking a pen distractedly between his fingers. He watches as his friend struggles to calm down slightly and proceeds with caution.

"He can't touch her unless she  _lets_  him..."

"And that's supposed to make me feel  _better_?!"

"House..."

"If she wasn't entertaining the idea then she wouldn't be acting the way she is...It's not consensual; it's blackmail!"

"I know! Look, I know, that's what I was trying to tell you... I think...Well, I think you should fire her."

" _What_?!"

"If you're really, _genuinely_ , thinking she's in a position where she's in trouble; fire her... Write her a reference- if you play by Vogler's rules there's no reason she wouldn't be able to use it- and let her go. If you keep her in the place of either of the other two, there's a good chance she'll quit out of guilt anyway, and there's no telling how Vogler will react around her... Let her go... But, for god's sake, tell her  _why_  you've done it!"

"Tell her-"

"-That she's a good doctor! That you'd rather circumstances were different! That, due to recent events, it's not a  _fair_  option, but it's the best one you've got. Just don't... Don't be _you_ and make her feel like crap about it."

House sighs and rubs at the scruff that lines his jaw irritably.

"This is all so fucked up."

"... It is... And I'm sorry."

Regarding the oncologist a moment longer, House finally gives a small nod, and limps back over to his office, taking a seat at his desk. He imagines things will work out better if he speaks to Cameron before finding the Chairman and making him aware of his decision, and so waits for his young employees to return from their errands in the bleak darkness of his office.


	8. Chapter 8

"You gonna eat that?"

Foreman points to the remaining coil of fruit-windup held precariously between the brunette's fingers as she perches on the stool beside him, watching him pipette phenolphthalein solution into a series of test tubes.

"Knock yourself out. Do you want me to run for epsteine barr virus?"

"Nope."

"I know it's a long shot, but-"

"- it is, and I've already done it."

The young neurologist leans over to pinch the proffered snack from his colleague, offering her a glance of thanks before returning his attention to the job at hand. Cameron sighs, tapping her fingers restlessly on her thigh as she watches him work, itching for something to do but momentarily at a loss for inspiration.

"House knows what this is, you know."

"He does?"

"Well, either that, or he was toying with me... He told me I was reading the wrong article, anyway."

"Ah..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What?"

"'Ah', like you knew that already..."

"Oh, I'm not exactly  _surprised_ , put it that way. And the 'ah' was more in response to the fact that you talked to House."

"Of course I talked to House. Everyone talks to House. Since when was it not ok to talk to Hou-"

"-Cameron..."

Foreman twists on his stool to face her, shoving the oversized goggles he wears up onto his head and regarding her sternly.

"What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What in the hell do you  _think_  I mean... Look... Last night... You were a _mess_ , you know that?"

"So I'm not allowed to  _drink_  now?"

"Oh, you're allowed to drink. But Cameron, that  _wasn't_  drinking, that was... Something else entirely. In the space it took Chase and me to finish our second beer, you were already hurrying to order a second  _bottle_  of wine, and when I asked you what you wanted, you said you wanted white, and then proceeded to drink a full glass of it before telling me you fucking  _hate_  white wine. Didn't stop you drinking it, though... I'd ask you if you even remembered any of the conversation we had last night, but given that your only contribution was to ask us to pass you your glass every now and then, I imagine the answer is not a lot... So... What I mean is; what the hell's going on with you?"

"I'm just... Stressed."

"... I know... Look, this whole deal is completely messed up, and I completely understand where you're coming from, but you shouldn't  _worry_  so much... House likes you- don't pull that face, what do you want? For him to write you a poem expressing his lack of revulsion to your presence?- he likes you, and there's no way he's going to get rid of you. Not unless you show up  _hammered_  that is... To be honest with you, I thought Chase was for it... Now I wonder if House plans on listening to Vogler at all! And  _then_  what happens? It's not like he can fire  _all_  of us!... So what did House say?"

"...Huh?"

Foreman's brow creases as he realizes that despite the fact that the young immunologist faces him and appears to be listening, her eyes are wide and her complexion is chalky. He moves slowly to press the back of his hand against her forehead, but she seems to break out of her reverie as soon as he shifts position and shakes her long curls distractedly.

"Oh, nothing, just about the patient is all."

"He didn't mention anything about Vogler?"

"No... Well..."

"Well, what?"

"I... I just have this feeling... That if House doesn't make a decision, Vogler's going to fire the whole team... And-"

"-Wait, what? Did House tell you that?"

"No, but I-"

"Cameron, come _on_! There's no way  _even_  Vogler would threaten something like that!"

"... New Jersey general has a diagnostics unit..."

"What's your point?"

"Not all hospitals do, and we happen to be one of two in just a ten mile radius..."

"So? That's... That's bullshit... Vogler can't fire all of us... Surely?"

"He's the chairman... If he decides it's what's best, then..."

"His shit with _House_  is his problem, why would he take it out on all of us?"

"You think he's going to fire House? He can't. House has tenure..."

"So... What? He ditches all of us just to prove a point to House? That's insane!"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Seriously, Allison, it's insane...Still... I guess you won't judge me if I say I'm going to polish up my resume when I get home..."

"No... But what if..."

The brunette trails off, green eyes downcast to the floor, and the neurologist sighs as he grows impatient.

"What if what?"

"Nevermind."

"No, Cameron, what if what? For God's sake, stop bottling this all up!"

"It's just... What if... What if Vogler won't write us a letter of recommendation... I mean... If he brings to light House's faults... What if he makes it so we can't find work..."

"Why the  _hell_  would he do that?!"

"... I don't know..."

"Cameron, Vogler's deal is with House... Why would he work to jeopardize us?"

"I don't-"

"Listen to me. Everything's going to be fine. This is  _House_  we're talking about;  _none_  of this is going to have anything to do with actions from the three of us, unless we royally screw up... Now, I'm not pointing fingers, but- Ok, I  _am_  pointing fingers; what you did last night... You better be glad House didn't find out about that! From now on, just relax though, ok? The little game House has us playing; forget it. Last week, I was all for beating you and Chase to the finish... Now... It's become fairly obvious House is just getting off on this and isn't taking anything we do into real consideration, so I say  _now_ , we all just watch each other's backs and do our damn jobs. We helped you last night because if you could help _us_  through this, you'd do the same, and that's all that matters right now, ok?... Ok?"

"Yeah, ok... Excuse me."

Foreman opens his mouth to reply, but Cameron is already slipping swiftly through the glass doors of the lab. He watches her small, retreating form as she hurries down the hallway pensively, before raising a hand in greeting as he spots Chase approaching from the opposite direction. Through the glass, he watches as the brunette exchanges what appears to be a harried and distractedly short conversation with her colleague before disappearing round the corner. He imagines his look of confusion matches Chase's.

"What's up with her?"

Chase sidles in and takes Cameron's recently vacated seat, peering curiously at the sparse array of test tubes but reverting his attention back to Foreman when he realizes the solution is still in the process of reacting to the collected fluid samples.

"No idea... She said she'd talked to House and ended up telling me she was stressed about his crazy little game... I told her to just ignore it and accept that House is an ass and will play us all he wants without actually making a damn decision, and she kind of... I don't know... What did she say to  _you_  just now?"

"Nothing much; I asked her where she was going and she just told me she had to go do something."

Chase shrugs, appropriating an expression that suggests the young brunette is a puzzle they can never hope to solve.

"She says she's worried Vogler will make it so that we can't find work if we get let go from here..."

"Why on earth would she think that? Hell, I'll bet Vogler would be only to  _happy_  to give  _Cameron_  a glowing reference, what with the way he looks at her."

"I know... But it's an odd sort of thing to have thought about, don't you think? I mean, I know she's almost  _painfully_  on the anal side, but... I don't know... It almost feels like she knows something we don't..."

"Like what?"

"I can't really put my finger on it, she's just acting... Stranger than usual."

"Maybe she feels guilty. She asked me last night why we helped her... I told her it was just to give us all a fair chance, but she seemed weirdly _upset_  by that."

"That _is_  weird. That's pretty much the same as what I just said to her before she left. Something's eating at that girl, but I'll be damned if I know what else it could be."

"Ah, she just hates confrontation... She'll be alright."

"Yeah, let's just hope she comes to the same conclusion before we find ourselves working with a full blown alcoholic!"

Chase smirks as Foreman widens his eyes as though suggesting this is of real concern, shaking his head as he reaches for a small packet of litmus papers and beginning to test the solution in the test tubes.

"The likelihood of Cameron becoming an alcoholic is about as likely as her seducing Vogler to get one up on us!"

"I'm sure  _he_  wouldn't mind."

"Dude, gross. It's Cameron."


	9. Chapter 9

Sighing, and dropping his collection of papers and files onto the DDX table, Chase takes a seat and regards his colleague moodily.

"Well, either way, I have a really bad feeling about it..."

"Come on, not you  _too_  now, she was just spooked!"

"What if she's right though, and we really _can't_ use a reference from House?"

"So what? Chances are he'd screw  _you_  over anyway! We just ask for one from Vogler."

"What the hell's she so worried about then!?"

"Like you said, it's Cameron. She probably just doesn't like the idea of her gold stars coming from anyone else but House... That guy could beat her to the _ground_  and she'd probably still thank him for the experience!"

"Oh, I wouldn't go  _that_  far, Dr Foreman. A gentle spanking sounds much more fun."

"House!"

Foreman twists round in surprise to find the graying doctor leaning casually within the doorway between the inner and outer office, before turning to Chase and glaring at the blond for negating to warn him of their boss's presence. Chase widens his eyes and mouths back 'I didn't see him there'.

"Your powers of observation are shocking, Dr Chase."

House growls as he limps over to the whiteboard, having read his employee's burlesque attempt at silent communication with ease. Eyeing the two younger doctors shrewdly, he takes a seat perched up on the desk, spinning his cane idly.

"Where _is_  Cameron, anyhow?"

"Not sure, she said she needed to go do something."

"Well, she's not with the patient, she's evidently not still in the labs, and I doubt she's in the clinic... That pretty much covers all possible basses on what she would 'need' to go do."

"Fine, so she's somewhere else. What do you want, for us to babysit her?"

House scowls irritably and shakes his head. He has been plagued with his knowledge of what his upcoming conversation with the young brunette is to entail, and now silently accuses her as he is doomed to stew in his discomfort a little while longer. Glaring at the two fellows that _have_ had the good manners to show up, he grumbles angrily.

"So, what were you ladies gossiping about?"

Foreman and Chase exchange glances before the blond sighs and regards House levelly.

"Look... You have one more day to make a decision about which one of us you plan to fire, and so far you haven't even  _hinted_ at a real decision. What happens if you  _don't_  pick one of us? We  _all_  get screwed over? And what about references? Can we rely on you for those? Because _Cameron_  sure as hell seems worried we can't... Have you told her something we don't know?"

"No.."

"Really? Because she seems pretty damn freaked out!"

"...Cameron told you she's worried she won't be able to get a reference?"

"She thinks  _none_  of us are going to get a reference if you piss Vogler off so bad he decides to ruin you!"

"... Well, then, I would propose, Dr Chase, you desist from listening to the worries of our jumped up little immunologist and get on with your job so that-"

"-If it's just Cameron being Cameron, you should talk to her!"

"Your sense of camaraderie is truly touching. Tell me, did the young doctor by any chance make it  _worth your while_  after you helped her out last night?"

"That's- I mean- what are you talking about?!"

Chase stammers in red faced confusion; not sure how best to cope with having been called out on the previous night's adventures. A glance in Foreman's direction does little to help him out as the young neurologist stares back at him with raised eyebrows; evidently having taken House's suggestion into abrupt consideration.

"No! We never... House... Foreman... We... You  _knew_  about what happened?!"

"I'm afraid so. Noble you two may be, stealthy, not so much... So-"

"-  _You knew_! You knew the state she'd gotten herself into and you're _still_  not going to go tell her she doesn't need to worry about this!? That's... That's fucked up!"

"Chase-"

Foreman glares at the blond warningly, but the young surgeon pays his colleague no mind as he rants on; his anger as much a merciful release of the stress caused to his own system as it is directed against the unease being bestowed upon the absent brunette.

"-It  _is_!  _You_  saw her! You said the same thing after you talked to her! I mean, the girl looked like she was five minutes away from having a nervous breakdown! Tell him!"

Foreman frowns, before regarding his boss seriously; brow furrowed low as he cautiously choses his words.

"She... She's been in a pretty bad state the past couple of days, House. I'm with Chase... I mean, if this is what it takes to keep my job then okay, but if you're just messing with us... You need to stop it before she does something stupid... And by that I mean even  _more_  stupid than what she did last night."

"How touching; now that you've all decided you're no longer a  _threat_  to one another, Cameron's suddenly gained two concerned older brothers... It would be  _so_  much more convincing if you two hadn't spent most of Monday trying to prove she'd fucked everything up!"

House growls, only a few decibels away from shouting, but his mouth feels suddenly dry and his knuckles are blanched white as he grips his cane tightly.

"Look, fine, I'll talk to her. What exactly did she say she was going off to go do?"

"She didn't, I just bumped into her as she was leaving the lab after talking to Foreman. I asked her if she was ok because she looked pretty pale, and she said she was fine and that she just had to go... That's all, she didn't say why... She just seemed pretty upset."

Chase looks to Foreman for any further information but the neurologist simply shrugs and shakes his head.

"Same to me, she excused herself and left... Pretty much _ran_  out... I don't know. To be honest, she seemed pretty shaken up when I told her we had to look out for each other, and I guess I can see why;  _she_  was never keen on the whole dog-eat-dog game in the first place, and now, after all the shit she dealt with after the interferon screw up, I'm surprised she's not gracing the halls with screams of Judas... She's _hardly_  the best with confrontation at the best of times... Us telling her we're now finally prepared to play this as a team game probably just wiped her out... She's exhausted... We  _all_ are... I wouldn't be surprised if you found her in the girl's locker rooms trying to clean herself up, she-"

"-You told her you wanted to play this as a team game?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, we all _love_  your little gold stars, House, but things were getting pretty damn tiring, and you obviously-"

"-No, I'm asking you what you said. Exactly. The exact words."

"What? I don't _know_! Something about how we needed to watch each other's backs..."

"Something _like_? Or  _was_  that what you said?"

"House, what are you-"

" _What did you tell her!?_ "

"That we helped her last night because she would have done the same thing... That we'd watch each other's backs, that we'd-... I don't know... What do you-"

"-You  _idiot_!"

" _What!?_  I-"

"-Find her. Now."

Foreman opens his mouth to argue as Chase comes up beside him- brow creased in confusion- but the graying doctor is already on his way out the door, limping purposefully down the hall.

When he reaches the bathrooms at the end of the corridoor, House smacks open the door with excesive force; the thin wood shuddering as it reverberates off the tile wall. Glancing around intently, he is sure the bathroom is empty.

 _Almost_  sure.

Making his way down the length of ugly mint green cublicles, he proceeds to slam open the narrow doors with his cane, thus deducing them all to be damningly empty.

"Cameron?"

Nothing but the disturbing whine of the leaky faucet in the far corner.

"Fuck."

Limping quickly back down the main hallway to the elevator, he pokes his head into his friend's office without invitation and barks loudly that Wilson should follow him; ignoring the aging woman that sits on the oncologist's threadbare sofa with a hankerchief to her eyes.

"House, what the hell! I'm with a patient! I-"

"-Is she dying?"

"Yes!"

"In the next five minutes?"

"House-"

"-Tell her to come back! Tell a nurse to console her! Whatever the fuck it is you do! We need to find Cameron!"

" _We_? Why do  _we_ \- wait, where's Cameron?"

"And _that_ , Boy Wonder, is our first conundrum."

"House, what's going on?"

"Hopefully nothing! But I'd still rather we find Little Miss More-Trouble-Than-She's-Worth before forming a concise conclusion on that! You have two working legs; humor me!"

"... Have you lost your mind?!"

"I really, truly hope so..."

Throwing his friend a look that lets on more than his tone and- although peculiar, hardly unheard of- behavior, House proceeds to make his way to the elevator. Wilson throws one last glance towards his office before grabbing a passing nurse by the hand and stammering at her to go comfort the woman he has left alone to dwell on her fatal news. Stepping aside to let House enter the elevator first, he swiftly presses for both the first and second floor; muttering to his friend that he'll search the Clinic if House will go ask someone to go search the female locker room.

"Page me if you find her. If not..."

Wilson shrugs awkwardly, not wanting to bring up the possibilty that the young brunette may well have been on her way to the Chairman's office, and deciding it may be safer if  _he_  takes the job of sniffing out that particular hiding place.

"If not, try to call her, check her car- if she's upset, she may have gone there, it's more private than the bathrooms- and I'll check with Cuddy... And Vogler... To see if they've seen her about..."

* * *

Closing her eyes and counting to thirteen, the young brunette attempts to regulate her breathing before stepping warily into the grand outer office to that used by the Chairman. A severe looking receptionist eyes her with cool disinterest, and she hides her hands neatly within the pockets of her lab coat, dimly aware that they're shaking.

"Yes?"

"I... I'd like to make an appointment to see the Chairman?"

"I see. And who may I ask is making the request?"

"Cameron... Dr Allison Cameron... Diagnostics."

"Fine. And will the Chairman know what this is in reference to?"

"... I believe he will... Yes."

"Fine. I'll place a request. Wait one second please..."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you looking for House?"

Wilson turns round abruptly as the Dean of Medicine's sharp tone cuts into the silence of the clinic's office. Nodding his head at her in greeting, he follows her back out out into the main waiting room- the office occupied only by a single aging nurse and the wafting odor of her cheese and pickle sandwich- and falls into step beside her.

"I'm looking for Cameron."

"Ah, so you're looking  _for_ House?"

"I guess so. Have you seen her around?"

"No, I was under the impression House's team had a case. However, neither Cameron nor any of the others seem to be keeping too keen an eye on the patient... You would  _think_  with Vogler's warning that they'd be a little more on the ball...Try paging her."

"I have, but there's no response."

Cuddy's brow furrows as a series of emotions pass over her features in quick succession. The first is irritability that the young brunette should be so careless as to ignore what could be an important medical alert. The second is confusion as she finds the idea of Cameron being quite so lax with her professionalism unlikely. The third is concern; this last expression matching Wilson's uncannily.

"That's not like her."

"I'm sure she just mislaid her pager or something... If you see her though, tell her House is looking for her, and that it's pretty... Well, it's pretty urgent."

"...Dr Wilson, is there something going on I should know about?"

Wilson shakes his head slowly, honey-brown eyes avoiding the Dean's uncomfortably. Such behavior would normally arouse greater suspicion in the dark brunette, but she has about a million other things to be doing, and getting caught up in one of House's twisted little games is not about to become one of them. Sighing, she reaches for a chart that lies atop the Clinic's long countertop.

"Fine. If I see Cameron, I'll send her to House, and if you see  _House_ , send him down here; he was due to clock in half an hour ago."

The oncologist nods curtly before hurrying off towards the elevators to continue his peculiar search.

* * *

"Cameron?"

House barges into the female locker room to a shrill yelp and an incredulous glare.

Neither of these are bestowed upon him by the brunette in question and this irks him greatly. Returning the disapproving scowl of the young, semi-clad woman he recognizes vaguely from the ER, he limps further into the narrow locker room in the direction of the showers. The nurse hurries after him angrily, pulling her top on over her head as she goes.

"What do you think you're doing!"

"Getting my rocks off, want to join?"

"You can't go in there!"

"I seem to be managing alright so far."

"Hey!"

"What is your problem!? Ok, fine! Go in there and find Cameron."

"What? Who?"

"Dr Cameron. Brunette, skinny, temperament of a kicked puppy-"

"-What?... Fine, wait here!"

She offers him one final glower, hazel eyes rolling irritably as she marches into the steam filled shower room. A moment later she reappears, huffing loudly as she stalks past him back towards the lockers.

"No one in there."

"There has to be. Maybe you just didn't look hard enough-"

He drowns out her waspish reply, sticking his head round the door to investigate for himself. He slams his cane angrily into the wall when he sees straight away that the nurse had been right; not a single pair of feet visible from beneath the raised doors of the shower cubicles.

"-Damn!"

"See, I told you! Now get out!"

Snarling at the young woman as she ties her hair into a prim bun, he storms past her, cursing the hospital for its size.

Outside in the hallway he digs into his jeans pocket for his pager, sending the brunette yet another 911 message but becoming all the more sure this will fall into the senseless void that has gobbled up its predecessors.

_Just go check her car, she's got to be there... Where else is she going to be?_

An unwelcome image of Cuddy's office turned Vogler's begins to form in his mind but he battles it swiftly away, refusing to accept that the young brunette could be so stupid. She couldn't  _possibly_  be dumb enough to allow herself to be bullied into... That... Just for the sake of a job.

_"Maybe not for hers. But what about for Foreman's? Chase's?... Yours?"_

"Fuck."

Turning away from the elevators that lead to the car park, the graying doctor limps back up the hallway from which he originally came, knuckles white as they grip his cane.

* * *

The Chairman smiles broadly as he beckons his hand to welcome in the young brunette, dark eyes roaming her slim frame intently as she closes the door behind her and stands with her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

"Dr Cameron, what a pleasant surprise..."

Green eyes flicker up at him warily, the young doctor walking tentatively forwards into the room to stand before the Chairman's desk. Vogler raises an eyebrow, leaning forwards to regard her with a slow smile.

"And what can I do for you today?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: First off, sorry for the wait on this chapter. As I have said previously, this is a requested fic and I ended up having trouble with some of the content. I had originally thought it'd be an easy two-shot, and thought the idea of writing something a little more macabre would be an interesting venture. While it was, I realised fairly early on that the requested storyline was a little more difficult that I'd originally thought. As such... It is hard for me to say whether or not I am pleased with how this turned out. I won't put the rest of the note here due to spoiler material, but please read the author's note at the end. Thanks:)
> 
> Chapter Warning: Violence, Sexual Content.

_"And what can I do for you today?"_

Cameron lowers her eyes down to her hands and remains silent for what she realizes is probably too long, but her throat has closed up and her mouth doesn't seem to be working. The Chairman waits patiently, his smile broad and kind, and that just makes it all so much worse. When it becomes clear the brunette is likely to remain silent unless prompted, Vogler sits back in his chair and encourages her.

"I assume you're here in regards to my little proposition, am I right?"

Wide eyes find his gaze nervously, but still the young doctor keeps her silence. Offering her a knowing wink, the Chairman continues amiably.

"If that is the case, Dr Cameron, I am anxious to hear what you have decided to do?"

"I can't... I can't do this-"

"-Shh, shh, Oh come now, of  _course_  you can. You're here _now_  aren't you?"

"Yes, but I-"

"-Unless you're here to tell me you plan to allow the entire diagnostics team to be left ruined and jobless? If  _that's_  the case then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave so that I can get started on the relevant paperwo-"

"-No..."

"No?"

"No."

"... I see... Well then... What  _are_  you here for?"

The brunette's eyes flicker across the dark man's face, avoiding his gaze in fear of seeing herself reflected within those hateful coals. Swallowing, she takes a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady as she speaks.

"...What do you want?"

Vogler breaks into a wolfish grin- all teeth- and pushes himself up slowly from the desk.

_Fuck he's big. I mean, of course he's big, but he's also tall. Has he always been this tall? Must've been... Must've just never noticed... How funny..._

Making his way round to the front of the desk, the Chairman rests his ample backside on its surface as he continues to smile at the brunette who now stands close enough for him to be able to detect the subtle hint of her perfume. Dark eyes dropping slowly from her pale features, he watches in amusement as the bones of her narrow chest flutter rapidly beneath the white flash of skin visible between the lapels of her lab coat. Extending his hand to her, he takes her slim wrist in his fist and pulls her gently closer until her feet rest just in-between his own.

He notes the ill-hidden distaste in her intelligent eyes and resists the urge to admonish her for it. After all. She doesn't have to  _like_  him.

"I imagine you have a fairly good idea as to what I want... Or are you really as innocent as I've heard rumored?"

This earns him a flash of teeth and he feels himself becoming excited; the fragile little princess has some bite, and he likes it. Chuckling at her visible anger, he brushes a long curl of hair from her shoulder, eyes sparkling as the young doctor's breath hitches audibly in her throat.

"Relax, Dr Cameron, this will be no different to how you got your precious job in the first place..."

"What's  _that_  supposed to mean?"

"Oh, don't be coy, doctor. I know enough about House to know the asshole wouldn't have looked at your resume twice without demanding a little sugar... Me; I'm not a  _bad_  guy, I just live by the ethos that if I see something I want, then I will do anything in my power to take it... House; the man's as low as they come... I'm betting he was thinking about all the things he was going to do to you the entire time he had you sat in that little interview room... He too takes what he pleases..."

"You're wrong. And I earned my job."

"I'm sure you  _did_... Just as I'm sure you're now going to earn the right to _keep_ it..."

The Chairman pushes himself up from the desk, towering above the brunette, and leaning past her to pull the blinds, his breath heavy on her cheek. As he moves back, he places his hand firmly over the small of her back, relishing the heat of her that emanates through her pristinely white coat as she jerks slightly in his grasp.

Smiling, he leans forward, pulling her into him, and brushing his lips against hers. The fact that she resists him- her mouth forming a hard line- does little to deter him, he simply laughs quietly as his other hand finds her slender throat. She makes a small noise of panic and he takes advantage of her parted lips to taste her. As he finds her tongue, she clenches her teeth purposefully, banishing his assault and nipping him in the process. Pulling back to glower at her angrily, Vogler pushes her away forcefully, licking his lips with his aching tongue as she stumbles slightly.

"Perhaps I did not make myself clear, Dr Cameron. My proposition was that I would allow you to provide me with a reason to keep you and your worthless shit-heeled colleagues within the luxury of a paying job... I must say, so far, I am vastly disappointed... I am a busy man. If you don't plan on playing nice then get the hell out of my office! Just know this... You came here for a specific reason, doctor... Not following through doesn't make what you agreed to do any less debauched, it just makes you a tease and a coward."

The Chairman's voice rumbles quietly, but the anger leaves his deep tone as he watches the fight slowly die from the young doctor's eyes at his final statement. Raising a heavy eyebrow at her, he smiles wickedly as Cameron gathers herself together and walks towards him purposefully. He takes dominance over her reluctant kiss easily, deepening it as her fingers cup his cheeks, relishing the way they tremble tellingly against his flesh as he encircles her waist once more. Pulling her to him, he holds her flush against his vast frame, filled with sordid satisfaction at the way the young doctor tries to shy away when she feels his arousal pressing hard into her hip. He finds her ass with large hands and grinds her purposefully against it, the brunette freezing up instantly and pressing her lips and eyes firmly shut.

"And just when you were doing so much better..."

He leans back and smiles at her as Cameron slowly opens her eyes, lashes wet with the emotion that threatens to spill out onto her cheeks.

_Goddamned little princess..._

"Well, you're _clearly_  not willing to play along, so lets just get to it, shall we... I hope for  _your_  sake that little body you're being so protective over is worth all this ridiculous fussing..."

"It's not  _about_  my body. It's about my dignity."

Her voice is low, and he can't quite place if it sounds dangerous or broken. Throwing his head back with laughter, Vogler regards her with twinkling eyes.

"You gave up the luxury of dignity when you chose to work for House... Your pride is unwarranted, Dr Cameron, for as I previously stated,  _you_  are the one who came to  _me_. Nothing can change that now."

Green eyes flashing uneasily, the brunette fixes him with a stoic glare, head held high as she drops her hands to rest at her sides. The Chairman accepts her silent submission and nods his bald head appreciatively. He closes in on her once more, dark eyes studying her pale face approvingly as he slips a large hand beneath her lab coat and explores her sharp curves hungrily. Running his hand roughly up the flat plain of her stomach, he withdraws it so as to push away the coat; letting it fall to the floor with a flourish.

"Tell me, Dr Cameron... Do you have a lover waiting at home?"

His inquiry is met with stony silence, but he pays her insubordination no mind. He would guess that the young brunette does not in fact have anyone she goes home to. He imagines that if she did, he wouldn't have been able to manipulate her quite so easily. He has a feeling the jumped up little immunologist has little time for such things as dating and relationships. Sex too, if her stuck up, bitchy attitude is anything to go by. A shame, for sure, given her tight physique.

"I'll take your silence as a 'no'..."

He begins to unbutton her primly appropriate shirt; eyes alternating between her face and the tantalizing expanse of flesh being slowly exposed. The brunette looks away from him hatefully and he watches the rapid movement of her ribcage as she begins to tremble. From the curl of her fists, he deduces this latest symptom likely to be due to anger rather than fear.

Not that it matters.

With her shirt undone, he pulls away the soft fabric roughly, the resulting sight causing his suit to become uncomfortably tight. Pawing at her hungrily, he pulls her against him as he slides a hand down her bare stomach to the clasp of her tailored pants, his mouth hot on her neck.

And that's when she snaps.

"I can't! I can't do this! Get the fuck off of me!"

Her small frame writhing against the grip of his large one, long hair tumbling wildly as she shakes her head with frantic venom. Battling herself loose, she staggers slightly, catching her breath with dark anger flashing in her eyes. The Chairman growls at her furiously.

"Calm the hell down! You came here to hold up your end of this bargain and I'm getting pretty fucking  _tired_  of your petty, conceited shit! Are you really _stupid_  and _shallow_  enough to throw away years of medical experience and ruin the lives of others just because you insist on holding yourself up as such a fucking  _prize_?!"

"You can _have_  my job! You can f-fucking have it!"

Vogler watches as she shakes her head angrily, her slight frame taut and flushed, lean muscle rippling beneath white lace. Moving forward furiously, he grabs her by the waist once more, holding her tight as she struggles against him.

"I can have your job? And what about the others'? Can I have their's too?"

" _Get off me_!"

"I don't think you've thought this  _through_ , Dr Cameron! I don't think you have it  _in_  you to go up to Dr Chase, Dr Foreman...  _Dr House_ , and tell them that you're sorry, but that you were too fucking stuck up to just lie on your back and play your part! I don't think you quite  _understand_  that you don't just come marching into  _my_  office, if all you plan on doing is playing the fucking tease!"

Large hands hold her firmly; one slipping traitorously down to cup her through her dress pants. With a cry of rage, the brunette lashes out, scratching at the Chairman's face with enough ferocity to draw blood.

" _Fuck!_ "

And he sees red.

Suddenly, everything is happening much too fast and much too painfully, as Cameron finds herself thrown violently against the wall, before strong hands grip her shoulders, waist, legs, ass, and wrestle her onto the plush leather couch on which she has sat so many times before when receiving a briefing from Cuddy.

She is dimly aware of her pants being pulled roughly down her thighs- the soft ripping noise they make confusing her momentarily as everything goes dark beneath the shroud of her hair- and then she feels a tug at the lace beneath and she understands what's happening and lets out a hoarse scream.

"Shut up!"

Vogler slams his hand roughly over the brunette's mouth, glancing quickly behind him but the door remains closed. Climbing on top of her, green eyes regard him widely with shock over the heavy flesh of his fingers.

When he begins, she thrashes wildly beneath him, her teeth grazing his fingers painfully as her hands attack him like white doves. He catches one easily, his grip bruising her wrist darkly. Every now and then she manages to strike him with one of her flailing limbs, but he has weight on his side, and she soon tires.

At some point, he becomes aware of a peculiar wetness coating the hand that presses against her mouth and nose but he pays this little mind. Similarly when her frightened eyes slip fitfully closed, he simply finds the flesh of her neck and tastes her.

It is only when he becomes vaguely conscious of the lack of her persistent resistance that his mind admits any thought but primal lust. As he pushes himself up slowly, he has enough time to hear the telling click of the door before everything goes black.

* * *

Wilson runs into the office yelling hoarsely, gripping his friend by the shoulders and tackling the graying doctor to the floor, the latter's bloodied cane clattering loudly on the varnished wood.

"House! What did you  _do?_!"

The oncologist pushes himself up off the heap they have created on the floor and regards the wounded mess of the Chairman's head with stunned, wide eyes. Turning to stare at House, he finds the older man to be stood over the sofa with an unreadable expression gracing his weathered features. Wilson's eyes travel to the pale limbs traipsing off the gleaming leather and he lets out a small noise of disbelief. Rising up onto shaking legs, he joins his friend quietly.

"No..."

Wilson shakes his head stubbornly, but the graying doctor pays him no mind. Kneeling down painfully, he takes hold of the brunette's hand and rubs his thumb over her palm softly. Plucking her lab coat off the floor, her throws it over her small frame quickly, stroking her back as she faces away from him.

"Cameron?... Cameron, it's okay...You're okay..."

He tells himself her hand doesn't feel limp in his. He tells himself she's just in shock. He ignores the fact that her chest remains hatefully still. He sits down awkwardly on the floor to take the weight off his thigh and pulls at her gently, teeth grinding audibly as one pale, skinny arm falls heavily into his lap.

"Cameron..."

He brushes the long hair that falls chaotically over her face aside and, for a moment, he refuses to believe that the mess of scarlet that coats her lips and smears her nose is blood.

"Oh, Jesus..."

Wilson places a hand on his friend's shoulder as he rubs the other nauseously over his dry lips. Turning stiffly for the door, he speaks dully over his shoulder.

"I'll go get help."

The older doctor seems not to hear him, as he pulls the brunette heavily off the sofa and into his lap, holding her head to his chest as he mutters to her that she's an idiot, admonishing her gently for the trouble he's sure to get into for knocking out the Chairman, and telling her that everything is going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And so it ends. The original request for this story was 'Revolving around the Vogler situation. He approaches Cameron illicitly. Somehow things pan out that she agrees. He fucks her. She dies.' (This is a very basic translation from the request in Dutch). I had been putting off culminating this for a while now (as you know) and ended up fleshing out the story quite a bit in the hopes of making things a little more... real? (As some of you mentioned in comments, it would be unlikely that Cameron would follow through with Vogler's request). I won't say that I hope you enjoyed, but I will still ask that you comment, as from a writing perspective I am curious for feedback.
> 
> Also, I am now DESPERATE for a prompt for another House fic. I just ask that you refrain from making me kill off Cameron (poor girl, I only have two fics on here involving character death and she plays victim both times) yet again. At least for a while anyway. :)


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